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Princeton University Agrees to Consider Removal of Woodrow Wilson's Name from Programs, Buildings

November 21, 2015

(PRINCETON, N.J.) — After a 32-hour sit-in at the office of the President of Princeton University, the school and a group of concerned students reached an agreement to consider renaming the university’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

The protest began Wednesday when a group of students demanded the removal of the former U.S. president’s name from programs and buildings over what they claimed was his history of racism. Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber agreed with the students that Wilson was racist, but said that it was important to balance his racism with his contributions to the country.

After 32 hours, the two sides agreed to “collect information on the campus community’s opinion on Woodrow Wilson School name and then make a decision regarding the name.” Eisgruber also agreed to email members of the university community to effort the removal of a mural of Wilson hanging in the school’s Wilcox Dining Hall and to initiate conversations about Wilson’s legacy and his place on campus.

The agreement, reached during a meeting attended by the school’s Black Justice League, Eisgruber, Princeton Vice President for Campus Life Rochelle Calhoun and Dean of the College Jill Dolan, also calls for the designation of specific rooms for Cultural Affinity Groups, enhanced cultural competency training for staff members, and no formal discipline against the students for their sit-in.

“We appreciate the willingness of the students to work with us to find a way forward for them, for us and for our community,” Eisgruber said in a statement. “We were able to assure them that their concerns would be raised and considered through appropriate processes.”

Not long after the school announced the agreement, the university’s Public Safety Department issued campus safety alert. It later said that a threat made against the university was deemed not credible.